Our Supporters

It’s been quite a ride for Far Rockaway RBI in the three years since its inception — sometimes literally.

Last weekend, 28 Far Rockaway RBI ballplayers, along with 9 coaches and chaperones, rode the NYC Ferry from the peninsula to Manhattan. For most of them, it was their first time on a ferry. As if that weren’t exciting enough, they were headed to Bat Day at Yankee Stadium, where they got to see one of their favorite Major League Baseball teams in action. Continue reading →

When Katie Brennan was first introduced to The Child Center of NY, it was a particularly difficult moment in her life. Her second child had just been born and had to go back in the hospital with an illness, her first was still young, and like any mother at least occasionally does, she was grappling with some stress. Continue reading →

It’s never too soon to instill in children the importance of financial literacy — and it’s never too late for their parents to achieve it.

That’s why The Child Center promotes the concepts of budgeting and saving in age-appropriate ways across our programs.

At our Escalera Head Start in Manhattan, that recently took the form of a financial literacy workshop called, “Break the Paycheck-to-Paycheck Cycle,” organized by volunteers from TD Bank. Continue reading →

Curtis Granderson and Jose Reyes Usher in Holiday Season with Turkey Giveaway

The Mets’ Jose Reyes and Curtis Granderson gave out turkeys at M.S. 72

Thanksgiving came early for some 100 students from M.S. 72 (Catherine and Count Basie Middle School), P.S. 223 (Lyndon Johnson),and August Martin High School. New York Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson and his teammate, third baseman Jose Reyes, joined them this week at M.S. 72 in Jamaica, Queens, to hand out turkeys for their holiday meal.The giveaway was part of The Mets’ larger Metsgiving and Granderson’s Grand Giving campaigns, which have the shared goal of combatting hunger in New York City. Continue reading →

Like other driven individuals, for the first 20 years of Garrett D’Alessandro’s career, he was principally focused on achieving his career goals. Garrett has always been financially generous to charitable organizations, although he made little time to otherwise engage in his community. Continue reading →

When Albert Perna, founder of the Perna Foundation for Kids and a member of Queens Community Board 4, received a generous donation of baby food to his organization, he wanted to be sure that it went to families who could use it most. Continue reading →

“Not everybody has the same advantages that I had. I am lucky to have parents who supported me at every step of the way,” said Alan Stein, Online Advertising, Global Strategy, and Operations Manager for Google.

Alan believes in giving back – but not merely in traditional ways. As a frequent donor to The Child Center of NY over the years, he has also participated in a number of events “hands on,” such as acting as a referee for dodgeball and organizing a Google cafe fundraiser attended by board members, and has encouraged his three children to give back as well. His kids, learning the importance of philanthropy by his example, have held bake sales and lemonade stands to raise money for The Child Center.

But the Stein family doesn’t just raise money for us; they also encourage friends and coworkers to donate as well – to The Child Center and other worthy recipients. At Google, where Alan works, up to $6,000 a year per employee is matched in giving to charitable organizations, and Alan does not let that benefit go to waste. In addition to maxing out his own annual Google contributions, he also sponsors a “Holiday Triple Match,” with his colleagues, matching up to $150 of their donations out of his own pocket. In five years, they’ve raised a combined $72,000.

“The Child Center of NY helps children grow and develop, and I want to support that by creating opportunities for kids to be able to make their own opportunities. Giving them the resources they need to work toward their own goals makes me feel like I’m making a difference in their lives, and for the next generation as well,” said Stein.

What’s better than donating to a great cause? Donating to a great cause and having your donation go even farther. That’s why Russ Carson, a supporter of The Child Center and a founder and partner at private equity firm Welsh, Carson, Anderson and Stowe, established a match challenge, whereby he will match every $3 you contribute with an extra $1. That means your $3 becomes $4; your $30 becomes $40; your $300 becomes $400. He pledged to match any gift up to $1.5 million.

“The Child Center does amazing things, and I wanted to find a way to make as big an impact on its work as possible,” Carson said. “Creating a match challenge was a way to get a whole community of supporters involved, and help twice as many kids.”

Fundraising studies show that people are very responsive to matching gift campaigns. Carson’s has been extremely successful and is nearly complete.

In recognition of this gift and Carson’s tremendous impact on the agency, The Child Center created a new award in his name: The Russell L. Carson Visionary Award. The inaugural award was given to Kay Howard, tutoring coordinator for the M.S. 72 Basie Beacon afterschool program, at our 2015 annual gala by Carson himself. This year’s Carson Award went to Tanya Krien, director of Early Head Start.

“We are so grateful to Russ for coming up with this innovative way to double his already generous gift. It has been truly transformational in generating support and helping us serve the children and families in our programs,” said Traci Donnelly, CEO of The Child Center.

We encourage other donors—on their own or with a group—to create their own matching gift pledge. To learn how, or to donate to the Carson Campaign, please contact our Development Office at 718-651-7770.

About The Child Center of NY

The Child Center of NY began in 1953 as a children’s counseling center in Queens. Today, we are a powerful community presence throughout NYC, reaching more than 35,000 children and their families each year. Our mission is to strengthen children and families with skills, opportunities, and emotional support to build healthy, successful lives. We guide children from birth to adulthood with evidence-based, innovative programs that engage them with school and help them become secure, capable, and confident.